REBUILDING OUR LIVES

20151210 REBUILDING OUR LIVES

Readings at Mass

First reading

Isaiah 41:13-20 ©

I, the Lord, your God,

I am holding you by the right hand;

I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,

I will help you.’

Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm,

Israel, puny mite.’

I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks –

the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.

See, I turn you into a threshing-sled,

new, with doubled teeth;

you shall thresh and crush the mountains,

and turn the hills to chaff.

You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away,

the gale will scatter them.

But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord,

and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none,

their tongue is parched with thirst.

I, the Lord, will answer them,

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

I will make rivers well up on barren heights,

and fountains in the midst of valleys;

turn the wilderness into a lake,

and dry ground into waterspring.

In the wilderness I will put cedar trees,

acacias, myrtles, olives.

In the desert I will plant juniper,

plane tree and cypress side by side;

so that men may see and know,

may all observe and understand

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Psalm

Psalm 144:1,9-13 ©

The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.

I will give you glory, O God my king,

  I will bless your name for ever.

How good is the Lord to all,

  compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

  and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

  and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds

  and the glorious splendour of your reign.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

  your rule lasts from age to age.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come, Lord, with your peace

that we may rejoice in your presence with sincerity of heart.

Alleluia!

Or

cf.Is45:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Send victory like a dew, you heavens,

  and let the clouds rain it down.

Let the earth open and bring forth the saviour.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 11:11-15 ©

Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!’

REBUILDING OUR LIVES

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISAIAH 41:13-20; MATTHEW 11:11-15

In the first reading, we read of how the Israelites during the exile were reduced to almost nothingness.  They lost their land, their kingdom, their Temple and their homes.  From a powerful kingdom during the time of King Solomon, they were now but a “poor worm, puny mite.”   What had happened to their former splendor, glory and power?  Their kingdom was divided by internal strife, resulting in a split between Israel and Judah.  As if it was not bad enough, within the kingdom, most of the kings were weak and evil, caring for themselves, their interests and pleasures rather than the people.  The leaders under them, political and religious, were accomplices in their crimes.  Without moral leadership, the country could only fall into decadence.  Internally weak and divided, it could not withstand the onslaught of its enemies.  In a nutshell, it was the sins of the leaders and the people that brought about their destruction.

What is even more tragic is that they were all given warnings by the Lord.  God sent prophet after prophet to call the people to repentance, to take heed of the destruction ahead of them and to put their house in order.  Not only did they reject the prophets’ warnings, but they even put them to death or in prison.  This was the remark of Jesus in the gospel.  “Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm.”   Prophets have never been welcomed by the people.  John the Baptist also suffered execution by King Herod under the instigation of Herodias, his wife. Indeed, the kingdom of God all these years had been subjected to the violence and persecution of evil men who are opposed to the truth.

In our times, we too face the same situation.  Whether it is at home, in the office or in church organizations and communities, there is so much division among us.  We also lack good, exemplary, devoted, selfless and virtuous leaders.  When parents, leaders, corporate, civil or church leaders do not lead the way, walk the talk and be mentors to those whom they lead, their followers will take the cue accordingly.  They too would learn how to play politics, suck up to leaders and collaborate in their crimes for their survival and interests.  When leaders lack moral integrity, impartiality and honesty, their subjects will behave likewise.   This is true also for parents, teachers and those in formation as well.  Good and exemplary parents and teachers will produce good children.  Indeed, good, humble and virtuous leaders, whether political or religious, are paramount for the growth of any organization or institution.  Otherwise, decadence will set in as we see in many countries where political leaders are corrupt.

But today if we find ourselves in such a situation, God gives us hope that we can rebuild our organization and our own lives.  If we have been reduced to an insignificant force in society or in the Church today, or if we have been humbled because we have made a big mistake in life and have no face to see anyone, the Lord is saying, He will recreate us as He did before.   Just as He delivered the Hebrews from the slavery of the Egyptians and gave them the Promised Land and the Kingdom, so too, He could recreate Israel one more time.  Through the prophet, the Lord said, “For I, the Lord, your God, I am holding you by the right hand; I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid, I will help you’. Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm, Israel, puny mite.’ I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks – the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.”   Indeed, this same promise is given to us all as well, whether as a community, institution or as an individual.

But how can this promise of restoration be realized?  From today till just before Christmas, St John the Baptist becomes our guide in Advent.  He is the one who will show us the way to rebuild our lives and the kingdom of God.  As Jesus says in the gospel, he is the new Elijah who prepares the way for the coming of the Lord.  Jesus said, “Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!’”  We must therefore take heed of John the Baptist’s message if we were to rebuild our lives.  We must not repeat the same mistakes of the kings and the leaders in the Old Testament.  By rejecting the truth, we will eventually hurt ourselves and our people.

What, then, are the conditions for restoration?  Firstly, St John the Baptist calls for repentance of heart.  We must turn to the Lord by levelling the mountains and hills in our lives and filling up the valleys as well.  In other words, we are called to remove the obstacles that prevent us from seeing the truth about ourselves and fill the emptiness of our lives with the love of God and love for our fellowmen.  The psalmist tells us that our God is a God of compassion.   He is “kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. I will give you glory, O God my king, I will bless your name for ever. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures.”   Repentance is the first step in rebuilding.

We must take the opportunity during this advent to make a good confession.  Alas!  Although we have penitential services all over the island in all our parishes, less than 20% frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation.   As if this is not bad enough, many who go for the penitential services are not well prepared.  There is no real confession, no contrition if we do not make time to go over our lives and spend time praying, reflecting and understanding the depth of our sinfulness. We have not entered into the pain and misery we have caused, not just to our loved ones but how we nail Jesus again and again to the cross, piercing anew the heart of Mary with our sword of injustice, lust, greed and unforgiveness.  An unexamined life is not worth living, so says, Socrates.   As a result, because there is no true repentance, conversion, realization and contrition, we continue to perpetuate our crimes and sins against our fellowmen and against God.

Secondly, it calls for courage to be receptive to the grace of the kingdom.  When Jesus mentioned that the kingdom of God must be taken by force, He wants us to recognize that real conversion takes place only when God enters in a radical manner in our lives.  Small experiences of God will only produce weak and superficial conversions.  But when a person experiences God radically and in an amazing and surprising way, exceeding all expectations and human calculations, great will be the conversion as well.  The question is, are we ready to allow the kingdom to come by storm?  Many of us like to determine how God should come into our lives.  Some insist that God must come only through contemplative reflection and prayer. Some would have nothing to do with the Charismatic renewal and all its phenomenon of healing miracles, praying in tongues, resting in the Spirit, or deliverance.  Some would only want God to come through the traditional way; such as in the recitation of the rosary, attending Mass, etc.  He could come also when we serve and meet the poor.

What is important is receptivity.  The Lord comes in ways that we least expect.  He could come to us through a silent retreat or a charismatic or healing retreat or even in our personal prayer.  What we need to ensure is that we do not place obstacles and limits and ways as to how He wants to enter into our lives.  If we limit Him in His coming, then we are saying that the Kingdom of God must come in ways that we are comfortable with.  But precisely, God wants to come in surprising ways so that we can recognize His power and His love.  The greater the surprise, the more radical the encounter with God, just as in the case of St Peter in the miraculous catch of fish and St Paul’s encounter with the Lord at Damascus.

If we are humble enough to submit to the plan of God, then Jesus tells us that we will be greater even than John the Baptist. “I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.” John the Baptist did not see the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.  We are privileged people to have heard the Lord in the gospel, encountered Him in the resurrection and received Him in the Eucharist and His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  When that happens, we too could affirm that the prophecy of Isaiah is true, “In the wilderness I will put cedar trees, acacias, myrtles, olives. In the desert, I will plant juniper, plane tree and cypress side by side; so that men may see and know, may all observe and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”   So let us open our ears and hearts by responding to the call for conversion, sincere repentance, expectant prayer and waiting for the Lord to come.  If we have the opportunity, take time off for a retreat or for silent prayers.  It will do us a lot of good as we wrap up the year so that we can re-orientate ourselves for the New Year, learning from our mistakes and refocusing ourselves.   He is coming!  Are you available?  Are your hearts open?  Are your ears attentive to His voice?

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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